The Ferelden Wolves
by Artimus Knyght
Summary: So I was reading this story where Hawke is an Antivan Crow and thought, how about the Ferelden Wolves, and this story idea was born. Rated for safety, let me know if its off. Please read and review.
1. Welcome To The Ferelden Wolves

So I was reading this story where Hawke is an Antivan Crow and thought, how about the Ferelden Wolves, and this story idea was born.

I do not own DA:O or DA II. Please enjoy.

Welcome To The Ferelden Wolves

Seven new students stood before the Grand Master of the Ferelden Wolves, all of them ready to learn what it takes to be a killer. On the far end, shying away from the humans was a small elf girl from the Denerim Alienage. At just nine years of age, Aralia Tabris had already been through tragedy when she had watched as her mother was killed by human men. She was here because she had proceeded to kill those men with their own knives.

Next to her stood the eleven year old daughter of the Teyrn of Highever. Most believed that she had led a privileged life, but it was in fact a rough life for two reasons. The first was the kidnapping attempts that she had to grow up with, the other was her name; Andraste Cousland hated her name. Her father had named her to spite the Chantry, which he hated due to them siding with Orlais during the Occupation of Ferelden. Most of the Chantry cried out at the blasphemy and usually called her a heathen, telling people that she claimed to be the prophet reborn when she did no such thing. The reason she was here was that during the last attempt to kidnap her, the bandits had tried to force themselves on her. She was found by the castle guards covered in blood and surrounded by their dead bodies.

Adriana Amell was twelve years old and next in line. She had spent the last eight years of her life in Kinloch Hold with the Circle of Magi. Despite her youth she was proving herself to be the most powerful mage of her generation, maybe even the previous few too. One of the scouts had been visiting the Circle one day looking for potential students and he reported back that none had more potential than her. So an official invite to a school for gifted youngsters was sent. It took a few months as the Knight-Commander didn't want to let her go, but he was finally convinced by the First Enchanter that it could be a good thing for them all.

The next four were all siblings, children of the Hawke family. Septimus was the oldest at thirteen years old and was one of two magi; he was very protective of his family and very powerful. The next was Sapphira who was ten. She was always cracking a joke at something or another, but she was also very protective, especially towards the twins.

Bethany and Carver were eight years old and the youngest, of both their siblings and the children gathered before him. Bethany was the other mage and also very powerful. 'Maybe it was in the blood, they were related to Amell' he thought. Carver looked like he would become a fine warrior.

The Hawke family had been traveling to Lothering when they were set upon by Templars. Luckily one of the Wolves had been on his way back from an assignment and had seen the whole thing. The father had been preoccupied defending the mother, but the kids had been out in the midst of it all. The Templars may have outnumbered them, but the kids had outmatched the Templars.

So here they all were, ready to become Wolves, to become trained killers. They were born killers, but they still needed to be trained after all. Their parents and guardians all thought they were learning at a boarding school for the gifted, but the kids had already been told the truth. They were told when they were asked to join. The kids also knew that they wouldn't be cut off from their families; they would be able to write and visit them, but they were never to reveal the truth about their 'School.' They would be trained for eight years and then they would go on about their lives. They would always have a room at Wolf Fortress in Alamar, but they would have their own lives to live. They would fulfil contracts and assignments, but they would also be ordinary people. They would live two lives, one that everyone saw, and one that no one did. They would be Assassins.

"Welcome to Wolf Fortress," he greeted, "for the next eight years it will be your home. You will learn how to harness your gifts and abilities. You will learn the many ways to take a life. Not only that but you will be taught to fight, not just to kill from the shadows, but to kill on the battlefield as well. In ten years you may very well be the best Assassins in our order." He looked them over; excitement with just a hint of trepidation was on their faces.

"There are three Assassin Orders throughout Thedas. The Antivan Crows, the Orlaisian Bards, although they aren't technically an 'Order' of Assassins, and the Ferelden Wolves. While the other two are well known, the Wolves are not, but we are the best. The Crows like people to know about them because they charge through the roof to acquire their services. The Bards like the thrill of the Game. For the Wolves, however, being an Assassin is a calling. We are not paid to do what we do and more often than not we work for ourselves.

From now on you will lead two lives, one being your own and the other being a wolf. For this reason you will be given a second name, one to use on assignment and in missives to the fortress and so on and so forth. From now on Aralia will be known as Huntress, Adriana as Starpower, Andraste as Bride, Septimus as Seven, Sapphira as Gem, Bethany as Sunshine and Carver as Butcher. These will be your code names. This is Hadrian," he gestured to a man standing next to him in the shadows, "He is the head of staff here and will show you to your rooms. I want to see you all bright and early tomorrow morning at zero six hundred, ready to begin training. Dismissed!" the kids followed Hadrian out of the room and the Grand Master smirked. Those seven would take the world by storm one day, he just hoped he lived to see it.

* * *

**Ten years later**

The Grand Master stood facing three of the best assassins to ever work for the Wolves. His prediction all those years ago had proven years ago they had all finished their training and returned home. In the time between now and then they had fulfilled many assassination contracts. The Hawkes had returned home three years ago for their fathers funeral and had come back two weeks later to complete their training.

Huntress, Starpower and Bride stood before him, and all three had grown into beautiful and capable young women.

All three were also exhausted. They had spent the past few weeks making it to the fortress, having to hide because they were on the run. Not to mention the blight in the south had everyone scared.

Huntress had been about to get married when Bann Vaughan had ruined the whole day, taking some of the female elves hostage. She had fought through the Arl of Denerim's estate, killing all the guards and finally Vaughan and his friends for raping her cousin. She had taken all the blame and escaped from custody later. She fled the city and made her way south to get a boat bound for Alamar, she couldn't get one from Denerim and she wouldn't go to Amaranthine.

Starpower had helped her friend to escape the circle. She hadn't believed him to be a blood mage, nor was she one, but as he fled she realised that the Templars would never believe her, she would be put to death. She had followed her friend out of the main door. As soon as she had arrived and told him her story he had sent someone to track down her phylactery and destroy it.

Bride and her family had been betrayed. Arl Howe had shown himself a traitor and killed her family while the army and her brother were marching south. She had barely escaped with her life and had made her way to the docks, where she had paid the Pirate Queen Captain Isabela to bring her to Alamar.

The Hawke siblings hadn't arrived and wouldn't be coming if the missive he had received was anything to go by. It had been mad chaos since the army at Ostagar fell and the King and Grey Wardens had died. Thankfully there was still hope in the two that had survived.

"The Hawkes are heading for Kirkwall with their mother and a soldier named Aveline. They have family there and they don't want to bring their mother here. They will stay with her for the duration of the blight, but they will continue to fulfil any contracts that I send them. This maybe a brilliant opportunity for us, to have operatives in the Free Marches ready to go at a moment's notice. With the blight going on we may not get much work until it is over. You three are being put on a special assignment for your own protection." He held up his hand to forestall any arguments.

"Bride, Howe knows you're still alive. Until he is dead, you are in danger. Huntress, you killed Vaughan, and while I was getting ready to hand you a contract for his life anyway, you could have done it with slightly more finesse, though I understand why you didn't, considering he killed your fiancé and had your cousin. Starpower, the Templars are hunting you, and when your phylactery is destroyed, they will be scouring the country for any sign of you. The safest thing for all three of you is to keep you together." They looked down and nodded glumly.

"Now as you now know, all but two Grey Wardens died at Ostagar. They cannot be allowed to die. Unlike Loghain, we actually believe that the Grey Wardens are the only ones who can end a blight, after all, no one has done it without the Grey Wardens before. Loghain will stop at nothing to remove them as a threat to him."

"You're talking about hiring assassins, right?" asked Huntress, when he nodded Bride shook her head.

"There's no way we would accept that contract," she said while Huntress and Starpower agreed with her.

"Who said he would come to us?" the Grand Master asked them carefully.

"The Bards and the Crows know that Ferelden is Wolf territory, they know we would rip them to shreds if they so much as pulled a dagger on someone here." He gave a faint smile.

"The Crows will take any contract, providing they are paid enough to do it, including one in Ferelden," comprehension dawned on the girl's faces. The Crows have no principles, no morals and would definitely not think twice about killing the last two Wardens in Ferelden if they got paid enough for it.

"So what's our assignment?" asked Bride.

"Protection detail," he answered.

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So tell me what you think. I crave your reviews.


	2. The Ambush

I hope you enjoy chapter two.

The Ambush

Shartana Mahariel pulled her thick cloak tightly around her to ward of the brisk morning breeze. They were making their way to Denerim to find Brother Genitivi. They were traveling along the west road, close to the Brecilian forest, hoping to find some signs of the Dalish elves Shartana knew to settle there.

Tamlen, the mabari from Ostagar, was out in front, sniffing the ground and prancing this way and that. Wynne and Morrigan were behind her discussing the pros and cons of magic and certain herbs for medicine and behind them, covering the rear, marched Sten. To her left strode Alistair and to her right, Leliana. She thought fondly of them both, something she never thought would happen in all of her thirty years. She stifled a giggle, the look on their faces when she told them how old she was. Alistair had been so convinced that he was older than her. She was the oldest of the group bar Wynne and Sten and would far outlive them all; she would die at around two hundred years, assuming she didn't die by a Darkspawns blade. Or at least she would have if she had not taken the taint into her body.

Alistair was like a brother to her now. They had both lived through Ostagar and had bonded over the tragedy. He reminded her of Fenarel in his fierce determination, and sometimes Merrill in his blissful ignorance of certain things, namely sex. She sighed, she missed her clan, those two and Tamlen above all others. The four had been close ever since Merrill had arrived at six years old to be the Keepers apprentice. At least Fenarel and Merrill still lived. She figured they'd be up at the camp on Sundermound with the rest of the clan by now and for the foreseeable future.

Leliana was the biggest surprise. Never would she have believed that she would fall in love with a Shemlen, but that was exactly what was happening. The more time she spent around Leliana, the more she felt that nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach, like butterflies trying to escape her insides. She had felt like this since she was a teenager and had developed her first crush on Maren, who was a few years her senior. On the other hand what she had felt for Maren paled in comparison to how she felt now.

Tamlen's head shot up and he ran back to her. She ducked down to him and patted his back. She looked up as an elven woman ran up to the group screaming about how they had attacked the wagon. She then ran back in the direction she had come. Shartana looked up at Leliana and arched an eyebrow in question. Leliana's face was set, she gave a short nod to Shartana and they drew their weapons. They followed the woman passed a large tree and saw her approach a wagon and another elf. This elf, with blonde hair and tanned skin and dressed in leather armour, lifted his hand in signal. About two dozen men came out of hiding, some on the ground with blades, others on the ledges with bows, and the large tree behind them fell to the ground, blocking their exit. The elven woman they had followed picked up a staff and stood behind the leader.

"The Grey Wardens die here!" he yelled, drawing his weapons and beginning to charge. Shartana and her group prepared for the onslaught, but before it could reach them all but the mage and leader froze. Literally froze in blocks of ice. The ambushing elves looked around them in shock while Shartana looked at Morrigan, who shrugged, and Wynne, who shook her head. She looked back at the enemy in time to hear the whistle of arrows and see the archers fall, each with an arrow in their chest. That was when the ice shattered and the men fell dead to the floor. The two elves were all that was left and were looking pretty scared. Then there was a thump and the elven mage fell forwards, a knife sticking out of her back. The blonde elf was spinning around, trying to see who this threat was.

Shartana could see something out of the corner of her left eye. She turned to see a grey cloud and out of it walked a woman, with long loose red hair and carrying a long wooden staff on her back. She was dressed in blue robes of a witch that had a wolf embroidered on the front. Her hands were held out before her, shimmering with frost.

More movement to the right had Shartana whipping her head around to see an elf leave the shade of the trees, her white blonde hair short with many tiny ponytails all over, her bow at the ready and pointing at the lone elf. She wore light leather armour, that same wolf on the front.

Suddenly someone leapt from one of the high ledges behind the elf. Somersaulting she landed light on her feet. The elf didn't even realise she was there, he was too occupied by her companions. Her brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, a few strands falling each side of her face. Her daggers drawn and, once again, that wolf on the front of her studded leather armour. She stepped forward, silent as a ghost, and drew up behind the elf. Bringing a dagger up she brought the butt of it against the back of his head and he went out like a light. She walked passed his now unconscious form and up to Shartana, the other two following behind her.

Up close Shartana could now see that they all had the exact same faded blue tattoos on their cheeks. The leader bowed to Shartana, as did the others.

"Greetings Grey Wardens," she said, her voice regal and soft despite the fact that everything about her screamed killer, "I am Bride, these are my sisters. On my left is Huntress, on my right, Starpower. We are of the Ferelden Wolves," Leliana gasped and Bride's eyes swept across her, "Do not worry Bard, we are aware of your extenuating circumstances; you are in no danger from us. Him on the other hand," she looked back at the unconscious elf, "He has broken the treaty and will be dealt with accordingly." Shartana glanced at Leliana, who looked relieved, and raised an eyebrow. Leliana shook her head and Shartana understood that she would be told later, so she gave a slight nod.

"I am guessing those are not your real names," Shartana said and Bride smirked.

"Indeed they are not, but they are our names and have been for nigh on ten years," she explained, "We must leave all explanation for later I'm afraid. My sisters and I would like to question the elf, you are free to join us. It was you he was planning to kill after all." The three turned on the spot and made their way over to the elf, Shartana and her companions following behind them. Bride got down on one knee and gripped the collar of the man's leather armour and lifted him up. She lifted her hand and backslapped him before dropping him roughly to the ground and standing up once more.

"Uggh … what … ohh … I rather thought that I would wake up dead, or not wake up at all as the case may be," he looked up, saw his targets with the three other women and paled, "well now this doesn't look good, for me at least," Bride crossed her arms and glared at him.

"What do you expect when you break the treaty Crow," she spat. There was another small gasp from Leliana.

"So you are going to execute me?" he asked, "What about little miss Bard over there?"

"You know the rules, you're allowed in the country, but the moment you try to assassinate someone, **you're** ours," Huntress spoke up for the first time, her voice beautiful and calm, "the Bard has not broken the terms of the treaty and so is safe. You on the other hand…" she left the rest unsaid.

"So who is he exactly?" asked Shartana.

"An Antivan Crow," answered Starpower, her voice mystical and light, "An order of Assassins who should not be working in Ferelden, though I assume you meant him personally?"

"My name is Zevran Arainai, Zev to my friends. I was hired by Teyrn Loghain to kill off the remaining Grey Wardens here in Ferelden. Clearly I have failed." Zevran stayed on the ground as he talked.

"When were you supposed to see him next?" asked Shartana. He chuckled.

"I wasn't. If I had succeeded I would have simply left Ferelden," Shartana lifted an eyebrow.

"_If_ you had succeeded?" she asked and he smirked.

"What can I say, I am an eternal optimist," he chuckled again but stopped when no one else did, "No, I don't suppose you would find that funny would you."

"Why are you telling us this?" asked Shartana, honestly confused. Zevran laughed again.

"Why not? I wasn't paid for silence," Shartana frowned.

"But aren't you at least loyal to your employer?" Zevran shook his head.

"Loyalty is an interesting concept," he paused, a thoughtful look appearing on his face, "In fact, if your all done interrogating me, I might have a proposition in mind." The three women groaned, but continued to stand back and watch.

"What kind of proposition?" she asked.

"Allow me to live and I will accompany you on your quest, and if sometime down the line you no longer need me I shall go on my merry way." he stated.

"And what's to stop you from finishing the job later?" she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Even if I managed to kill you now the Crows would just kill me later for failing the first time," he shrugged.

"Why do you want to come?" To be honest she could see the advantage of have a trained assassin with them.

"To be honest I was never really given the choice to be a Crow or not. And here's the thing, I like living and you seem the sort to give the Crows pause." She nodded, went to hold out her hand and drew it back.

"Can I expect you to be loyal?" she asked.

"I am actually a very loyal person, up until the moment someone wants me dead," she nodded her head again and reached down to help him up.

"You've got to be kidding?" Alistair exclaimed, "We're taking the assassin now?"

"Trust me Alistair, he could be useful," she gave him a meaningful look and his argument died on his lips.

"Fine, but if we all wake up with knives in our back don't say I didn't warn you," he was only half joking.

"A fine idea," mused Morrigan, "Though I would check your food and drink more carefully from now on."

"That's excellent advice for anybody," said Zevran.

"Welcome Zevran," greeted Leliana, "I'm sure it will be a delight to travel with you."

"Oh, what's this? Are you another of the beauties to be travelling with?" Zevran leered at her.

"Or maybe not," she said as she rolled her eyes. Zevran looked back at Shartana.

"I pledge myself to you until such a time as you wish to release me. I am your man, without reservation, this I swear." He bowed to her and she nodded. She looked at the three women. Bride shrugged.

"You're the one he was trying to kill, so it's your call, but just so you know we will be staying at you camp from now on. So we can keep a closer eye on him." They stepped back and allowed Shartana to lead on.

Shartana suddenly felt very weary and decided she would question them about her choice of words and their decision after they had set up camp. She walked away from the ambush site and was once again flanked by Alistair and Leliana.

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So what do you think? Please review.


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